LATEST 3RD ROUND MOCK DRAFT

Miami Dolphins: Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue
The Dolphins got very little production out of the tight end position in 2007, so Bill Parcells needs to make sure that doesn't happen again. Dustin Keller is a bit undersized, but he had an incredible combine, running a 4.53, notching a 38-inch vertical and catching every ball in sight.

I thought about a quarterback here, but I think Parcells waits one more round. I have to believe he would rather obtain a veteran free agent next year instead of waiting around for a young guy to develop. Parcells isn't going to be in town for more than three or four years.


St. Louis Rams: Eddie Royal, WR, Virginia Tech
With Isaac Bruce now on San Francisco's roster, the Rams may want to invest in a young receiver to take over for his spot in the starting lineup as soon as possible. It's a shame they couldn't keep Kevin Curtis and Shaun McDonald around.


Kansas City Chiefs: Terrence Wheatley, CB, Colorado
Ty Law and Patrick Surtain will both be over the age of 32 once the 2008 season commences. Speaking of Law, why hasn't he been released yet? The Chiefs told him they were going to cut him two weeks ago, but they have yet to do anything about it. What exactly is Carl Peterson doing?


Carolina Panthers: Red Bryant, DT, Texas A&M
The Panthers acquired this pick in the Kris Jenkins trade, so it only makes sense that they replace Jenkins with another talented defensive tackle.


Atlanta Falcons: Jermichael Finley, TE, Texas
It was pretty predictable that the Falcons were going to cut Alge Crumpler. Crumpler, once a great tight end, mysteriously became a sluggish player who dropped dozens of passes every week because he was too preoccupied daydreaming about eating hamburgers after each game.






New England Patriots: Brad Cottam, TE, Tennessee
The Patriots, known for taking tight ends early in the draft, could use one as Kyle Brady was just cut. Starter Ben Watson is inconsistent and didn't catch a pass in the Super Bowl, so Brad Cottam could end up being a potent weapon for Tom Brady by 2009.


San Francisco 49ers: Tony Hills, OT, Texas
The 49ers were the sexy sleeper pick this offseason. So, what happened? Frank Gore's injury played a factor. As did Alex Smith's ineptness. And don't forget the disappointing $100 million secondary. However, what hindered the team most has been its offensive line and receiving corps. The former surrendered 55 sacks. That's simply unacceptable. I don't care who the quarterback is; no signal caller can possibly thrive without any sort of pass protection.


Jacksonville Jaguars: Ahtyba Rubin, DT, Iowa State
Like the Panthers, Jacksonville acquired this selection from an AFC East squad in exchange for a massive defensive tackle. Why not draft a replacement?


Buffalo Bills: Mike Pollak, C, Arizona State
The Bills need help with their interior offensive front, and Mike Pollak is probably the best inside lineman in this draft class.


Minnesota Vikings: Duane Brown, OT, Virginia Tech
In my previous mock update, I stated that most Minnesota fans would gladly don green and gold if Tarvaris Jackson returned as the starter in 2008. Well, it turns out half of Vikings nation likes Jackson. With that in mind, I'm changing that projection to come to fruition if Ryan Cook and Marcus Johnson are allowed to battle it out for the starting gig at right tackle without a promising rookie challenging them.


Carolina Panthers: Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers
With DeShaun Foster off the team, the Panthers should look for a complement for the quick DeAngelo Williams. Ray Rice is a solid, between-the-tackles runner who could add some juice to Carolina's offense. Rice is a second round-caliber player, but he falls here simply because this class is so incredibly deep.





Chicago Bears: DeMario Pressley, DT, N.C. State
The defensive tackle position is in a state of flux for the Bears, given that Alfonso Boone and Ian Scott signed with other teams, while Tank Johnson was cut so he could pursue his life-long aspirations to hunt with Dick Cheney. It's gotten so bad Chicago has started signing guys off the street.


Detroit Lions: Marcus Harrison, DT, Arkansas
In the wake of Shaun Rogers getting traded to Cleveland, the Lions now have a 340-pound hole in the middle of their defensive line.


Cincinnati Bengals: Marcus Howard, OLB, Georgia
If the Bengals are able to land one of the top two defensive tackles in Round 1, they'll go outside linebacker here. The Bengals were so desperate at linebacker this season, they were scouring through the stands and the Monday Night Football booth to find people who could play. They had Dhani Jones in the lineup, for crying out loud. The man sells bowties for a living!

Marcus Howard is relatively new to my mock. He doesn't have much starting experience, but he really came on late in the year. He then capitalized on his momentum at the combine, where he ran a 4.40 and posted a 34.5-inch vertical.


New Orleans Saints: Thomas DeCoud, FS, California
More help for a New Orleans secondary that has looked horrendous all year. Free safety Josh Bullocks has been completely awful at times. Thomas DeCoud is an instant upgrade.


Houston Texans: Tashard Choice, RB, Georgia Tech
Darius Walker has been solid coming out of the backfield, and Ahman Green and Ron Dayne are both on the roster, but are any of them really the guy whom Houston can ride into the playoffs? The Texans need to address the running back situation, especially considering the plethora of talent at the position in this class.


Philadelphia Eagles: Trae Williams, CB, South Florida
If the Eagles trade Lito Sheppard, they'll need another cornerback for depth. And even if they keep him, they'll still go after a potential starter, allowing them to move Sheldon Brown over to free safety.


Arizona Cardinals: Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida
With the Cardinals losing Bryant Johnson and using Larry Fitzgerald as trade bait, it's become apparent that they will address the receiver position no later than the third or fourth rounds of the draft.





Minnesota Vikings: Jacob Tamme, TE, Kentucky
The Vikings had almost no production out of the tight end position. Visanthe Shiancoe led the group with only 27 receptions, though some of the blame has to be attributed to Tarvaris Jackson's ineptness.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Charles Godfrey, CB, Iowa
Ronde Barber will be 33 soon, while Brian Kelly was just released. The Buccaneers need youth at the position. Charles Godfrey seems like a good fit for Tampa Bay's scheme.


Washington Redskins: Chilo Rachal, G, USC
Starting guards Pete Kendall and Randy Thomas will be 35 and 32, respectively, at the beginning of the 2008 season. The Redskins need to get younger there in a hurry.


Tennessee Titans: Nick Hayden, DT, Wisconsin
When Albert "The Hamstring" Haynesworth missed action in 2007, the Titans couldn't stop the run. They need depth at defensive tackle.


Seattle Seahawks: Heath Benedict, OT/G, Newberry If you've been following my Web site for a while, I'm guessing you weren't too surprised that the Seahawks signed Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett. I've been calling for Seattle to cut Shaun Alexander since October. Alexander ran like a 6-year-old girl prancing through a flower garden last season. It was pretty pathetic. Sometimes it seemed like he was more concerned with where the hot-dog vendor was rather than gaining an extra yard after contact. I'm glad to see the Seahawks realized that ever since he signed a huge contract and got injured a few months later, Alexander took a dive down to the turf before enduring a big hit.

All that being said, the Seahawks didn't exactly blow open running lanes for him. A versatile lineman like Heath Benedict could be exactly what Seattle needs to pump some life back into its morbid ground attack.


Detroit Lions: John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame
Mike Martz has gone on to San Francisco, where he will attempt to sell Alex Smith's organs on the black market once his crappy protection schemes cause them pop out of his new quarterback's body. The Lions need a real tight end.


Pittsburgh Steelers: Paul Hubbard, WR, Wisconsin
Ben wants money. Ben gets money. Ben wants a big receiver. Ben gets a big receiver?

After seeing his draft stock drop since the beginning of the year, the 6-2, 221-pound Paul Hubbard put himself back on the map with a tremendous Pro Day. He ran a 4.38 and notched a 39.5-inch vertical. He also dropped one pass in the drills.


Jacksonville Jaguars: Roy Schuening, G, Oregon State
Chris Naeole, who just turned 33 in December, is coming off a torn quad injury and was consequently cut. His backup, Maurice Williams, is a free agent.


Chicago Bears: Andre' Woodson, QB, Kentucky
It drives me nuts that Andre' Woodson could actually fall this far, but it looks like that just may happen. Well, if it does, I feel as though the Bears are getting the best quarterback in this draft. Woodson doesn't have as strong an arm as Joe Flacco, or the connections that Matt Ryan possesses, but he just seems to have the "it" that many signal callers don't have. I'm just hoping Matt McGuire doesn't get an aneurysm if Woodson slips late into the third round.


Green Bay Packers: John Greco, OT, Toledo
The Packers have a great offensive line, but tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher will be 32 and 31, respectively, prior to the start of the 2008 season. Without any major needs, Green Bay can afford to add depth to the position.


Dallas Cowboys: Justin King, CB, Penn State
More cornerbacking depth for a team that has none. Justin King will also be a solid return specialist.


Indianapolis Colts: Chris Ellis, DE, Virginia Tech
The Colts need depth behind Dwight Freeney just in case he gets hurt again. After Freeney went down, they couldn't put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.


New England Patriots: Philip Wheeler, ILB, Georgia Tech
Other than lacking depth at corner and safety, the reason the Patriots' defense eroded into one of the league's worst toward the end of the season - despite anything Troy Aikman says - were the slow, old linebackers. Any sort of linebacker for the future is a must.


New York Giants: Zack Bowman, CB, Nebraska
Just a hunch, but I don't think Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters, both of whom are 33 and 31, respectively, will be around much longer.

I think this is an interesting pick. Zack Bowman was a top-rated corner until he suffered multiple knee injuries. He looked solid at the combine, but you just never know. On one hand, he could be crippled by 2009. On the other hand, he could be a great risk-reward like Antonio Cromartie. But given that the Giants don't really have that many needs outside of their secondary, they can afford to take a gamble here.